Now, Voyager Dell Romance 99, First Edition
Now, Voyager, Dell Romance 99, first edition
by Olive Higgins Prouty
Cover art by Gerald Gregg
Try this plot on for size: Wealthy woman plagued by tragedy and a controlling mum has nervous breakdown. After graduating from two years of therapy, the woman frees herself from the past and blossoms into a successful adult. She then decides to pass on riches of shrink-dom to a daughter surrogate. Daughter surrogate turns on her and lampoons her in satirical black hole of a autobiographical novel prior to killing herself.
Twisted version of Now, Voyager? Hidden version of Bette Davis’ real life? No, the true story of Olive Higgins Prouty. Author of Now, Voyager. The surrogate? Sylvia Plath. The book? The Bell Jar
Yes, gentle reader sometimes true life has more brackish melodrama than even our eye-popping Ms. Davis in Of Human Bondage could muster. Or, say the edited version of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on the tuber. . . Well, maybe not.
Dead Ringer, Half Sheet
Dead Ringer is one of those rare cinematic pleasures, A movie that can be relished on so many levels that the category Noir Horror can barely contain its glory.
Twin Movie. Naturally this isn’t Bette’s first twin movie (who cares about the first one). And, to make it even better, both twins are “Eeeevil”.
Campy juxapositions: One twin lives in Greystone Mansion in Los Angeles while the other operates a trashy gin joint. One twin wears cocktail dresses all day long dripping with jewels vs. one in cleaning lady attire and a bozo wig.
Peter Lawford stretches himself as sleazy Playboy.
Best Supporting performance by a Cigarette: Notice how Bette needs no words to get her point across. Only a cigarette. It huffs! It puffs!! It suffers a violent end in an ashtray or under a high heeled foot! And, Paul Henried is there behind the scenes directing the cigarettes performance — how trashtastic is that!
Drink to Favorite Bette Manorism. Eye Pops. Eye Rolls. Eye pop and roll. Arm Flails. Words beginning in “E” heeved with an exquisite flourish: “Eeeedith, . . .Eeeeevil” On second thought this could get sloppy.
Fine. Colors are nice and bright. No tears. Half sheet has been folded, but there is no paper loss. Poster has been stored flat. There are a few pin holes. Upper right corner (about 1/8″) has a fold mark.
